Container-serving unit



United States Patent 3,331,647 CONTAINER-SERVING UNIT Mary E. Struebin, Porfland, Oreg. (309 W. 2nd St.,

Holden, Mo. 64040), and James A. Frye, 4249 Cypress Road, St. Ann, Mo. 63074 Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,699 6 Claims. (Cl. 312-282) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combined food carrier and serving table comprising a body with a multipart cover openable outwardly of the body to form table-like leaves, and folding-extensible handle-leg elements pivoted to the body to swing over the body for carrying the body when the cover parts are closed and to swing downwardly from the body to form table-supporting legs for the same when the cover parts are in table leaf-forming position.

.The invention relates to a combined food and drink carrier and serving unit particularly adapted for boating, camping, picnicking, or patio entertaining and like uses. The unit comprises a box-like body of insulating material and cover-members of similar material which open out from the body to form table-like serving surfaces. Preferably additional sheet-like members are associated with the cover-members and may be extended therefrom to enlargethe serving surfaces. Handles are provided for carrying the unit and for elevating it from the ground or other support.

Among the objects of the invention in addition to those indicated above are to facilitate compact storage of comestibles, dishes, tableware, napkins, etc., during transportation and during repeated handling, and to afford clear table-like serving surfaces of adequate capacity adjaoent to the interior of the box without removal of all of the contents and thereby avoid removal of containers and repacking before and after serving.

These and other detail objects as will appear from the following descriptions are attained by the structure shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the closed unit with handles in horizontal position for storage or for packing in an auto or boat. The handles are shown in dot-dash lines fully extended downwardly for supporting the container from the ground or partially extended upwardly for carrying as an ordinary picnic basket.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the unit opened out for use as a serving table.

FIG. 3 is a detail vertical section on line 33 of FIG. 2 with parts broken away and drawn to a larger scale, the position of the cover in closed position being shown in dot-dash lines.

FIG. 4 is a similar section on line 44 of FIG. 2.

The box-like body includes a bottom wall 1, upright end walls 2, 3, and upright front and rear walls 4, 5. Preferably the body has upstanding partitions 8, 9 extending in ditferent directions and forming a plurality of compartments C for food and drink containers, tableware, napkins, etc. For lightness and insulation, these walls and partitions are formed of thick polyethylene foam material, with hard plastic linings 10.

Two top wall sections 6, 7 meet at the middle of the body and have hinge connections 12, 13 respectively substantially flush with their lower outer corners and with the upper outer corners of upright walls 2, 3 respectively whereby each top wall section may swing from the closed position (dot-dash lines in FIG. 3) to an open position (full lines) where they form serving table-like leaves. The

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top wall sections are formed of thick insulating material with hard linings 11 similar to the body bottom and upright walls. The underside of the closed top wall sections 6, 7 are recessed at 14 to receive the upper edges of upright walls 2, 3, 4, 5 and partitions 8, 9 to better seal the closed compartments.

Triangular brackets 15 each having a pivot mounting 16 on an upright wall of the container relieve hinge connections 12, 13 from undue stress when the top walls are opened up to form table-like leaves. Each bracket is movable upon its pivot from a position in which it lies flat against the upright wall to an extended position (FIG. 3) in which it forms a support for the opened top wall section.

Preferably supplemental cover members and table-like leaf extensions 18, 19 of relatively thin aluminum sheets or similar material have hinge connections 20, 21 respectively to front and rear Walls 4, 5 and open out in direc- -sp0nding wall 4, 5. When the cover members are swung to closed positions they overlie top wall sections 6, 7.

Preferably a triangular corner filler 29 with one arcuate side is pivoted at 30 to the end of each cover member 18, 19 and may swing from a closed position under the cover member to an extended position (FIG. 2) where its swinging edge overlies an end of the adjacent top wall 6, 7, thus completing a substantially rectangular contour of the serving table. By folding each corner filler 29 on a medial hinge as indicated at 31 it occupies less space when the unit is closed and may be swung within the margins of the cover member.

U-shaped carrying and supporting devices have legs 35, pivoted at 36 to upright walls 4, 5, and cross pieces 37 extending parallel to walls 2, 3 and swingable upwardly above the body, to form bracket-like handles, and downwardly to support the body, particularly when used for serving. Preferably legs 35 telescope, and include yielding interengaging bumps and recesses 38, 39 to hold them to adjusted lengths. Links 40 each have one end pivoted to an upright wall 4, 5, with a notched end latching over pins 41 to brace legs 35 in selected position.

The details of the unit may be varied as may be desirable without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A container-serving unit comprising a box-like open top body with integral bottom and upright walls of thick insulating material, top wall sections of similarly thick insulating material having hinge connections to two 0pposite upright walls of the body to swing on their hinge connections to positions overlying the body, and with their swinging edges meeting each other, and to positions projecting from the body in opposite directions to form serving leaves, and relatively thin cover sections having hinge connections to two other opposite upright walls of the body to swing similarly on their hinge connections to closed position overlying said top wall sections and to extended positions to form table leaves extending from the body in opposite directions at right angles to said first-mentioned leaves.

2. A container-serving unit according to claim 1 in which triangularly shaped members are pivoted to the V cover members to extend between the latter and the ends of the top wall sections and overlap the latter and form substantially flush corners between the serving leaves when the leaves are open and to underlie the cover sections when the latter overlie the top wall sections.

3. A container-serving unit according to claim 2 in which each triangularly shaped member consists of two parts hinged together to fold double and facilitate swinging the member under the. thin cover sections when the latter overlie the top wall sections when in closed position.

,4. A container-serving unit according to claim 1 in which the hinge connections of the insulated top wall sections have their hinge pins substantially flush with the top outer corners of upright side walls and with the bottom outer corners of the closed topwall sections, and the outer cover sections have marginal flanges along their hinged edges disposed normal to the planes of the sections and with the pins of their hinge connections substantially flush with the top outer corners of upright side walls and with the outer edges of said marginal flanges whereby the cover sections fold over the top wall sections when the unit is closed.

5. A container-serving unit comprising a box-like open top body with integral bottom and upright walls, top wall sections having hinge connections to two opposite upright walls of the body to swing on their hinge connections to positions overlying the body, and with their swinging edges meeting each other, and to positions projecting from the body in opposite directions to form serving leaves, and cover sections having hinge connections to two other opposite upright walls of the body to swing similarly on their hinge connections to closed position overlying said top wall sections and to extended positions to form table leaves extending from the body in opposite directions at right angles to said first-mentioned leaves, the hinge connections of the first-mentioned top wall sections having their hinge pins substantially flush with the p top outer corners of said opposite upright walls andwith the bottom outer corners of said top wall sections when closed, and the outer cover sections having marginal flanges along their hinged edges disposed normal to the planes of the sections and with the pins of their hinge connections substantially flush with the top outer corners of the upright walls and with the outer edges of said marginal flanges whereby the cover sections fold over the top wall sections when the unit is closed.

6. A container-serving unit according to claim 1 which includes upright triangular brackets each having an upright leg pivoted to an upright wall of the body and having a horizontal leg extending from the upright leg and having a diagonal connecting the remote ends of said legs, each of said brackets swinging out from the body upright wall to support one of the serving leaves when the same is projected and being foldable into position flush with the wall when the leaves are swung to closed position. 7

References Cited 3 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,274,475 8/1918 Wanner 10866 1,476,389 12/1923 Blank -12 7 2,125,856 7/1938 DeWitt 22022 2,339,580 1/1944 Park 206-4 2,663,391 12/1953 Kuhns 19012 3,006,706 10/1961 Park et al 1081l6 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER-SERVING UNIT COMPRISING A BOX-LIKE OPEN TOP BODY WITH INTEGRAL BOTTOM AND UPRIGHT WALLS OF THICK INSULATING MATERIAL, TOP WALL SECTIONS OF SIMILARLY THICK INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING HINGE CONNECTIONS TO TWO OPPOSITE UPRIGHT WALLS OF THE BODY TO SWING ON THEIR HINGE CONNECTIONS TO POSITIONS OVERLYING THE BODY, AND WITH THEIR SWINGING EDGES MEETING EACH OTHER, AND TO POSITIONS PROJECTING FROM THE BODY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO FORM SERVING LEAVES, AND RELATIVELY THIN COVER SECTIONS HAVING HINGE CONNECTIONS TO TWO OTHER OPPOSITE UPRIGHT WALLS OF THE BODY TO SWING SIMILARLY ON THEIR HINGE CONNECTIONS TO CLOSED POSITION OVERLYING SAID TOP WALL SECTIONS AND TO EXTENDED POSITIONS TO FORM TABLE LEAVES EXTENDING FROM THE BODY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID FIRST-MENTIONED LEAVES. 